
Short report the IFZ conference.
Kees Duivestein
Here is a short report of my participation in the IFZ conference last week. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.
The publications at the last 3 to 4 IFZ conferences show that the use of sensors and sensor data has taken off enormously, both in production motorcycles and in safety research. The following contributions came near to the concept of EDR:
Research into the direct application of sensor data, as input for safety systems on the vehicle, or as input for the driver:
Improving Motorcycle Safety: Designing and Assessing Auditory Alert Systems for Motorcyclists
Colin Ballantyne | KTM Forschungs & Entwicklungs GmbH, Austria &
Serkan Atamer | Chair of Acoustics and Haptics, TU Dresden, Germany
In short: sounds in the helmet represent sensor information, which offers information about vehicle movements around him.
Research into further modeling of the vehicle driver system:
Towards Full-Body Motion Capture of Motorcyclists. A Validation Study and User Report
Wolfgang Kremser | Salzburg Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Austria
The topic of investigation is how feasible this is on om moving motorcycles. Wolfgang points to several use cases but doesn’t mention crash analyses.
A lot of IMUs have been used to collect data about human body movements.
Analysis of statistical data of accidents or riding behavior involving PTWs in which sensors have been applied:
The effectiveness of Cornering ABS on motorcycles in reducing real-life crashes, compared to regular ABS
Matteo Rizzi | Swedish Transport Administration, Sweden
This research showed increased safety using Cornering ABS, which requires more sensor data.
Comparing Riders‘ Experiences in Real-Life Crashes with and without Airbag Jackets
Martin Winkelbauer | KFV (Kuratorium für Verkehrssicherheit), Austria
This Vortrag by ’nestor’ Martin Winkelbauer led to some heated discussion, initiated by the people of In&motion, pointing out that they have a huge amount of crash data (15000 events) available to incorporate in such an investigation.
An Approach to Rider Behavior Profiling Based on Naturalistic Riding Data
Raphael Pleß | WIVW GmbH, Germany
Also in this research, a lot of data is collected from many motorcycles during a long period of time, including video data. In case of an event the relevant data would have been stored; in fact they do analyse a number of situations (like cornering), like we would analyzing an event.
Also involved was Sebastian Will, who continuously provided and took care of scientific content at this conference.
Direct use of sensor data for accident analysis, which is the closest thing to the concept of Event Data Recording:
High-side falls: Analysis of videos and airbag data collected during racing accidents
Oscar Cherta-Ballester | In&motion, France
See the accompanying photo with a representation of the rider's movements at the time of and after a crash.
At this conference, there were no contributions to the analysis of individual accidents, other than the presentation of the company that manufactures airbag vests, In&Motion. Nevertheless, I note that most of those present at this conference are familiar with the concept of EDR.



Latest information: EDR IN MOTORCYCLES.
Kees Duivestein, Jan Paul Peters
There are no formal discussions on the regulated application of EDR in motorcycles or in the L-category, either at the UNECE level or not at the EC level.
The Commission Expert Group MCWG (Motorcycle Working Group) mainly works on Sound Emissions, Vehicle structure integrity requirements, Road safety & personal mobility devices, and Hydrogen.
The agenda of the 14th International Motorcycle Conference 2022
points out developments in the field of Motorcycle Safety (in key words):
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cooperative collision warning
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motorcycle state prediction
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ITS applications
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motorcycle pre-crash braking systems
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PTW ARAS on accidentology
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accident avoidance
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smart wearable airbags
It may mean that the functionality of EDR can be realized with alternative technical solutions, even without or with limited motorcycle hardware and the involvement of the OEMs.
Nevertheless: from the DG Research and Innovation of the European Commission there will be a presentation on the Institutional Perspective.
See: https://www.ifz.de/international-motorcycle-conference/
Kees Duivestein will attend in Köln, if you have any comments or suggestions, please contact us.
If you have any information, please let me know by sending an email to kees@eudarts.com

Development of electronics in Motorcycles
will facilitate EDR-capability
Jan Paul Peters and Kees Duivestein, April 26, 2018

In Europe, Jan Paul Peters and Kees Duivestein started a tour to Head Quarters of the major Motorcycle OEM’s. As it seems EDR currently isn’t a major topic in the Motorcycle Industry, although the potential contribution to safety and reducing casualties on European roads certainly isn’t neglected.
For now upcoming implementation as the (Delegated) Regulation (EU) Nr. 134/2014 of 16 December 2013 attracts more attention, especially the IUPR (In-Use Performance Ratio) with regard to the Euro 5 environmental performance of motorcycles.
The Regulation will be effective in 2024 but there is still no picture of "how", in particular, the PEMS (Portable Emissions Measurement System), which is quite a challenge for motorcycles for practical reasons.
But the technical consequences such as the OBD for Motorcycles also implicates steps further to EDR-capability. For one of the OEM's, some actions are set to get the complete overview of models with EDR-capability.
Forensic researchers of the Dutch Police force will keep this in mind in case relevant accidents with these models will occur in the near future. With MODARTS we will continue our efforts to get the full picture of required specifications for Motorcycle EDR.
For further information and your contribution to this topic, please contact: Kees Duivestein
More Items:
An Analysis of Sport Bike Motorcycle Dynamics during Front Wheel Over-Braking 2019-01-0426
ACEM, the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers
ACEM position paper - Detection of motorcycles by advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS)
INFORMATION: EDR IN MOTORCYCLES.
Little has been published about EDR in motorcycles, and in the last few years even less has been seen. Simply searching on the Internet indicates articles in Motorrad (14/2013), Rider Magazine (Mark Tuttle, August 2014) and in Motorcycle Consumer News (Wade Barlett, May 2015). Scientific publications are even scarcer, but the paper on the analysis of EDR data, by Fatzinger and Landerville, April 2018 is relevant. In this SAE paper, however, technical aspects of EDR for motorcycles are discussed.
A widespread misunderstanding is that EDR functionality requires an airbag module. It is true that cars are known to be given the trigger for airbag deployment in the airbag unit as well as for the EDR function. This is done partly on the basis of signals from the vehicle acceleration sensors and set threshold values. Fatzinger and Landerville reconstruct, however, that the EDR function in certain Kawasaki models is triggered by activation of the tip-over sensor, in addition to some other signals. It is implicitly made plausible that large-scale application of EDR functionality in motorcycles is not a problem from a technical perspective. After all, modern motorcycles have various electronic assistance systems that necessarily use sensor data.
OEMs and regulators keep quiet in this area. The aspect data ('Who owns the data?'), Regulations and the emotions that dissolve the use of data will certainly play a role in this. As 'motorcycle technology follows that of cars by decade or two' (Barlett), it is about time to set goals for EDR in motorcycles. But not for this practical rule as such, but for the proven positive effect on the safety of motorcyclists.
Coming up: motorcycle regulation and safety functions
ALREADY: EDR IN MOTORCYCLES.
Most modern bikes have comprehensive data recorders. Some bikes not only record speed but also throttle position, lean angles, brake application, revs, gear changes, and more. The owner is informed by the owners manual of the motorcycle. (see examples)


Rider Magazine: The manufacturers do seem to care about our privacy. Honda’s policy is that “any data recorded and retained by an EDR during a crash belongs to the vehicle owner, and access to such data should only be obtained with the consent of the vehicle owner or through appropriate legal means.” Kawasaki states essentially the same—that it “will not share EDR information without obtaining your consent, unless required by government authorities, or acting pursuant to lawful authority.” How much weight these policies carry is unclear—I guess you’ll find out when someone in one of the 36 unregulated states wants your data. Read More
EU QUOTE: EDR IN MOTORCYCLES.
Quote: MOBILITY AND TRANSPORT -
Motorcycle use is the most dangerous mode of road travel. More than 6500 motorized two wheeler users die each year in the EU (15) and the risk of death for motorcyclists is 20 times that of car occupants. Motorcycles tend to have much higher power-to-weight ratios than cars, and increasing numbers of motorcycles are capable of very high speeds and accelerations. Apart from their inherent instability, compared with other vehicles, motorized two-wheelers, because of their size and shape, are less easy to see than other motor vehicles and have poor visibility in daytime. Various attempts have been made to improve the general stability of motorcycle through concepts such as the BMW C1.motorised
In the World Report, the World Health Organization and World Bank have advised that care should be taken to avoid the adoption of policies which could encourage the growth of motorized two-wheeler traffic by giving advantages to motorized two-wheeler users. Research shows that in addition to managing exposure to risk, vehicle engineering and protective equipment measures play a particularly important role in reducing injuries and crashes amongst motorized two wheeler users.
Notwithstanding the high risks associated with motorcycle use, relatively little research on motorcycle safety design has been carried out. However, with the increasing popularity of this transport mode and increased casualty levels, new EU and national attention is currently being given to this area.

CALL FOR SUPPORT: EDR IN MOTORCYCLES.
Kees Duivestein September 2018
This call for participation to realize a position paper intended to inform the parliamentary debate with a clear and comprehensive overview of the technical development and implementation of EDR devices not only in cars and commercial transport vehicles buts also in motorcycles. Particular attention is given to the contribution these devices can give to improving safety on EU roads.
Support this initiative by filling in the SUPPORT form.
With enough participants, we will organize a meeting for a joint strategy.
